thanks God ( and Doug ) !

i posted this as a project , because it really has been .after blowing all my money on wood to augment the rosewood from bibb and deni ,all i could do was start cleaning my shop , as all my tv and internet was turned off .this happened 7 days ago .saturday i was surprised to see my friend doug , ( currently he has joined LJ’s ,but i don’t know his handle yet ) .drove in to my yard with a trailer and this crosscut saw on it .he said i could have it , as it took up to much room in his little shop !it didn’t have a top on it , and the box it was mounted on was pretty bad .i’m not one of those guys that are afraid of crosscut saws , as i have used them most of my 45 years inwoodworking .i got some money from 1 of those boxes with the art splines in it , and ran to blue box and got 2 sheets of 3/4” particle board for $40.00 .i made the cab out of one of them , and the top out of the other .i had to tweek the top , as the arm wouldn’t quite come to square ,i never move the arm or cut up my stop . but as you can see , i turned on the saw and let it down 1/8” into the top , and ran it all the way out then pivoted it to cut a semi-circle and then plowed back to the fence .this way i can crosscut or rip ( when the table saw is tied up ) , without raising the saw .the saw is totally inside the table edge , so it isn’t exposed at any time .i made the right side drop down , so i can get around my workbench , and plan on making drawers for the cab , more storage .i will make a designated dado jig , that rides higher than the fence , so as not to cut into the fence .and do miters from both sides with pivoting stops .all of this in preparation for the projects using the rosewood and the curly maple ,i want to have the tools in good shape , and everything where i can find it .most of my mistakes come from rushing , and rigging some other way to do something , cause i can’t get to the tools , or find supply’s i already have .

thanks , please work safe .

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

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34 comments so far

alright dave a new tool in the shop…....now there will be even less sleep…well if it were me i would be out there playin with it…..tool giving friends are great to have…..there kinda like the ones who send wood out to folks…..just good hearted people…well have fun with it…...it looks nice…...grizzman

I had one in my first shop and loved it….and now seeing yours…well, I’m jealous….green with envy…etc…etc….great score…and excellent table. I wouldn’t have room now for one…but I can be jealous If I want….

i been out there for a week ,getting up from 1:30 to 4:00 every night !i did get my 13” belt sander on wheels ,and the 13” planer also .now they are out of the way against the wall .it opened up a space in the shop floor about 8’ x 10’ .but i’m still only 1/3 rd through cleaning .

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

patron, i’m so happy you got a new saw, well new to you, and a sweet table you made. i’ve been anguishing over whether to buy a RAS these past few months. There must be 25 on craig’s list at the moment and seemingly cheap at about $100 to $150 average. i have the room but do i have the need? i’ve read some horror stories about how difficult they can be to keep aligned, but with proper setup, I’d think they can work a good as a TS. maybe i’m naive. are you going to dedicate the RAS to make just dado cuts, or miter cuts on longer boards?

when i’m in a project , the tools may have jigs on them ,so i will use the RS for crosscuts / rips / dados / miters ,so i can make any jigs the projects require ,without messing with the other setups .as stated ,i made sure the arm is 90 deg. to the fence ,and will not ever change that ,i never cut my fence but once .that is where a lot of the problems with RS saws came from ,guys moving the arm for miters and compound cuts .they never made a dedicated table for them , just whacked the one that came with it ,until they were trashed , and dangerous .as i make more jigs for it ,i will post them here .a radial arm saw is just like any other tool ,set up right , and used correctly , it’s a joy !

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

Hey DavidThis is a great table for your new RAS . your shop is looking great. That’s lots of work cleaning the shop but it’s making a big difference. I hope things get better for you in the $ department . It’s no fun when things get tight. Hang in there Bud

I just love your new setup, particularly the fold down tabletop ! The curves give it sex appeal ! I also like your clamp rack. Handy !

When I saw your RAS I ran into my shop to see if mine was still there. They are identical. Do you have the owner’s manual to set it right? If not I can send you or post the few lines I wrote recently about that for someone.

Keep on cleaning David, one day after the other. Well, it applies to everything I believe !

thanks serge ,i do have the manual ,and something i just remembered for all the worriers about rippingwith the RAS ,make shure the guard is down on the work ,it keeps the work from lifting while it is being cut !

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

I’m drooling over your RAS set-up. I want to do the same thing, and have a place for a choip saw and a router as well, all built-in. Storage below, dust collection, etc., just like the one Norm built a few years ago.

My RAS was the first tool I bought when I bought this place. A year later I had seven stitches right over my left eyebrow. Didin’t use it for many years, but I got back on that horse and am riding it regularly now (with the blade guard in place and not placing off-cuts on top of the arm anymore).